Foreword

The United Nations had approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for undertaking certain activities in connection with the World Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and related intolerance, held at Durban, South Africa from 31^st August to 7^th September, 2001. In this connection, apart from organizing some seminars and consultations, the Commission also undertook to prepare a Teachers' Handbook to help the teachers to inculcate in their wards the ideas and the need for non-discrimination on the basis of sex, caste, religion, disability and other grounds in the Indian context, and also briefly explain racism.

The NHRC decided to assign the task of development of this Handbook to the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE). I am happy that the NCTE accepted this responsibility and carried it out successfully. The need for a Handbook, as the one developed by the NCTE, aims at sensitizing teachers on a very important concern that should best be tackled in the early years of children at school. Teachers should foster in children equality, promote and strengthen the constitutional culture and stability. As for importance of education in imbibing amongst citizens the spirit of the Constituion, it has aptly been said in Aristotle's Politics: "The greatest of all the means for ensuring the stability of the Constitutions _ but which is now a days generally neglected _ is the education of citizens in the spirit of the Constitution."

To promote equality, it will be necessary to provide for equal opportunity to all not only in access, to education, but also in the conditions for success. Besides, awareness of the inherent equality of all will be created through the various curricular areas. The purpose is to remove prejudices and complexes transmitted through the social environment and the accident of birth. It is important in the context of the Indian reality that all educational programmes are carried out in strict conformity with secular values.

India has always worked for peace and understanding between nations, treating the whole world as one family. True to this tradition, education has to strengthen this world view and motivate the younger generations for international cooperation and peaceful co-existence. This aspect cannot be neglected. The education system must play a positive interventionist role in the empowerment of people and removal of all kinds of biases which are basically man-made. Education leads to foster the development of new values through new design of curricula and text books, the training and orientation of teachers, decision makers and administrators and active involvement of educational institutions.

This has to be an act of faith and social engineering.

Creation of a citizenry conscious of their rights and duties and committed to the principles embodied in our Constitution is a pre-requisite of social advancement, economic development and political progress of our country. Therefore, there is a need to make conscious effort to promote awareness of the Constitutional obligations amongst children. The Constitution of India visualizes development of a pluralistic, open society, based on the principles of equality and social justice. The school curriculum through its content and process will have to consciously reflect the Constitutional obligations and thereby play an important role in preparing the younger generation for assuming their roles as constructive and responsible citizens.

It is against this background that the Commission accepted making its humble contribution to the cause of education in developing a Handbook for sensitizing the teachers and teacher educators on the need for non-discrimination on grounds of sex, caste, disability, religion and related concerns at the school level. I am happy to find that the NCTE associated eminent persons to develop an appropriate structure for this Handbook highlighting the concerns

and strategies in the dimensions of discrimination mentioned. I would like to mention, in particular, the commitment of Prof. Mool Chand Sharma and Prof. A.K. Sharma in undertaking the onerous responsibility of editing the material of the Handbook and also of Prof. A.N. Maheshwari, Chairperson, NCTE, for coordinating the exercise on behalf of the NCTE and bringing out the Handbook for wider dissemination. I hope this effort will go a long way in developing sensitivities in the teachers to the concepts described in the Handbook, through curricular and co-curricular inputs.

Justice J.S. Verma
Chairperson, NHRC

January 1, 2003
New Delhi